Chapter 94
The nurse saw Jessica signing and, blinking in sympathy, lamented, “She’s so beautiful–what a shame she can’t speak.“?
Henry could read Jessica’s sign language. She was telling the nurse that she was his mother. He tensed, terrified she’d use her voice synthesizer and reveal the truth. Annoyance crept into his voice. “What are you waving your hands around for? No one else understands your sign language.”%
Jessica pulled out her phone, intent on using her voice ring to speak.
But Henry snatched her phone away before she could, turning to the nurse with a bright, practiced smile. “Ma’am, she’s our housekeeper. My dad likes a quiet home, so he hired someone who doesn’t talk.”
Jessica froze.
Did he just say she was the housekeeper?!
She’d seen this plot play out on TV–sons, ashamed of their mothers after making something of themselves, introducing them to others as the help or distant relatives. The mothers never got angry; they’d just cry quietly, terrified of embarrassing their child.2
Jessica had always despised those ungrateful sons with a vengeance.”
Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that one day, she’d find herself in their mother’s shoes.
Now, she finally understood the agony of those silent tears–the pain was like a knife twisting in her chest.
The nurse gently wrapped gauze around Henry’s arm and dabbed his skin with antiseptic.
Despite her heartbreak, Jessica instinctively tried to hug Henry, worried he might be scared of the pain.
But Henry pushed her away, his voice tinged with impatience. “I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m tough–I’m not scared of needles. You don’t have to baby me.” The nurse, seeing how brave he was, smiled approvingly. “You’re a brave young man, Henry.”
Still, when the nurse inserted the needle, Henry’s face tightened and his brows furrowed, but he bit down hard and didn’t let a single whimper slip out.
Jessica had been his mother for six years–she knew better than anyone when he was putting on a brave face.}
After the nurse finished taping the needle in place, Henry puffed up a little with pride. “See? I told you–I’m not afraid.”
The nurse finished securing everything and affectionately ruffled his hair. “You did great, Henry. Last time you were here with your mom, you still needed her to comfort you, remember?“2
Henry flushed. He remembered telling the nurse last time that Sheila was his mother, and guilt pricked at him.
But pride won out, and he grinned. “Well, with your mom around, you’re supposed to act a little spoiled, right?”
The nurse started tidying up, but then glanced at them curiously. “By the way, where’s your mom today?“} “She’s with my dad on a business trip.”
Jessica’s hands clenched into fists before she could stop herself.
No wonder Sheila hadn’t come back to The Gilded Whisper Estates last night she’d gone to Capital City with Timothy… The nurse finished packing up and waved goodbye to Henry before leaving the room.
Jessica pressed down the suffocating ache in her chest and signed to Henry, “Sheila went with your dad on a business trip?”
She didn’t want to fall into the trap of suspicion and guesswork. That was how families fell apart. She needed to hear the truth.
Henry was still feeling guilty about what had just happened. Now that the nurse was gone and the room was empty, he finally spoke.
“I just made that up. I have no idea where she went–I tried calling her, but she didn’t answer. Aunt Cathy stayed with me at the hospital yesterday. Mom…”
He cailed her Mom.
Because of what he’d said to the nurse, his voice was small and uncertain, as though he was worried about hurting her feelings.
Jessica looked at him steadily.
He dropped his gaze, shamefaced. “I’m sorry, Mom. That nurse is the mother of a kid in my class. There’s another boy whose mom has a limp, and everyone teases him about it. If they find out you can’t talk, they’ll tease me too. I’m growing up now–I want to save face. That’s why, when I got my shot the other day, I told the nurse Miss Sheila was my mom instead…”
Chapter 5
